Coming to America

How many of you know of relatives that came to America from another country through Ellis Island? I did! My great-great grandmother Rafaella Aeillo Chiarelli came over with my great grandmother Chiarina Chiarelli Gaglione in 1937 to Ellis Island. They came from Italy to America on a ship called the Savoy. They were on the last ship to come through Ellis Island, but many ferries take tourists such as myself to Ellis Island everyday.

If you ever get the chance to visit Ellis Island make sure you research the year they came over since you'll need that when trying to find the names on the wall. There are a lot of walls at Ellis Island and there are a lot of names. Keep in mind that if you're looking for a woman in your family then it might be listed under their maiden name.

A great idea would be to keep a mini pocket notebook to write names down if you have a list. Since I made a family heritage scrapbook awhile back I knew that there were at least four names on the wall! I found my great grandmother's brother's name Salvatore Chiarelli. 

Can you tell me about your experience to Ellis Island? Have you ever visited their website to do research on your family?

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